Beverage cooler



P. K. LELAND BEVERAGE COOLER Sept. 2, 1952 Filed Jan. 1'7. 1950 INVENTOR: PARDON K. LELAND ATT'YS P. K. LELAND BEVERAGE COOLER Sept. 2, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Jan. 17, 1950 l WWI/ALI",

' lil lm "I II INVENTOR. PARDON K. LELAND BY fii. *f 4,40-

Patented Sept. 2, i952 ""QJUNITIED STATES PATENT oF-Flcef BEVERAGE 000L123.

Pardon K. Leland, La Salle, Ill., assignor to Elgel ,,Inc., La Salle, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 17, 1950, Serial No. 139,653

This' invention relates to cooling devices for liquids and particularly to improvements in the cooling means for beverage dispensers wherein the beverage is cooled while passing through tubes, coils or a cooling plate from which heat is absorbed by a cooling medium.

. The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved cooling system for chilling beverage liquids; to provide an improved means for cooling liquids passing through a dispensing apparatus; to provide an improved combination of heat absorption means and heat transfer means for dispensers of liquids; to provide an improved means for utilizing a replaceable, selfcontained refrigerant block for the direct cooling of cooling coils and plates in dispensing apparatus for liquids; and to provide an improved method :of refrigerating cooling coils or plates by means of a unitary block type of refrigerant, which is normally at a temperature considerably lower than the desired temperature in the liquid being cooled, and for controlling the rate of heat now, from the cooling coilsto the refrigerantblock.

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which: -Figurel is a perspective view of a beverage dispenser, of a type inggeneral use at the present time, showing an application of the invention and illustrating a typical use thereof, the dispenser housing being partly brokenaway to show the principal ,elements of; the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a refrigerant block or unit .such as may be used in the practice of the invention, the shellor body of the block being broken away to show its construction. 7 r

Fig. 3 ,is-a diagrammatic View showing the relationship of thedispenser elements and the refrigerant block in a typical application of the invention.

6 Claims. (01. e2--14si Fig. 4 is a partial elevational view in section,

illustrating the invention as applied to a dispenser of the typeshown in Fig. 1.

,Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a cooling plate adapted for use in the practice of the invention.

Fig.6 is-a perspective view construction adapted invention, and

of a cooling coil Fig. 7 is a perspective .view showing one form.

of an'independent'spacer element used to space the refrigerant'block from the cooling conduit. The primary purposeof the present invention is'to provide a simple and yet adequate refri'gerating means for beverage dispensers and for use in practicing the 2 the like which will eliminate the inconveniences accompanying the use of cracked or chipped naturalice without resorting to the expense and space'requirements of a mechanical refrigerating apparatus. J

- In such cases the cooling problem, which the present invention .solves, arises from. thefact that the carbonated water, from: which the. drink or beverage is made, usually enters the dispenser at a temperature varying from 36 F. to:JF., with an average of 47 F. to 50. F., and must be cooled to such an extent and-at such. a rate that, when mixed withv the flavoring syrup for the drink, the drink will be delivered at'a' temperatureless than 40 F. regardless ofthefrequency atwhich successive drinks are drawn. Thesyrup temperature usually averages about 50 F. and tomaintain a;drawn mixed drink temperature of less than 49 F.-the cooling coils or cooling'plate, through which the water passes, must be maintained. atthe lowest temperature which will not cause the water tofreeze during a standing period when no drinks are being dispensed from the device. Thus,;the coil or. plate temperature must not :go below about 31 F. and, to be practical, the cooling medium, or means, must be one that will hold the de sired temperature over a considerable period;of tim'e without attention, and at the same time have sufflcient reserve capacity to maintain the desired temperature under a sudden or extraor dinary load. In the practice of my invention I employ a hermetically sealed cold block or unit, which can be cooled to a very low temperaturegasacooling means or refrigerant and this cold block isused as a heat absorption means in place of theusual cracked or broken ice. Such a cold block or refrigerant unit is removed from the dispenser an advantage to be gained over the usejpfj ordinary ice. In the present instance, however;

I employ, as'an element of my invention, af'cqld block that is particularly designed to be cooledto a very low temperatureand to hold a, tempje zture well below. the freezing point of water for; a n period of time.

One form of such a cold block is illustrated in Fig. 2 and as shown comprises a hollow, generally rectangular body or container I, made of sheet metal or any other suitable material, which contains a suitable solution 2 having a freezing point somewhat less than that of water. As indicated the solution does not fill the container, an air space of suitable size being left to accommodate expansion of the solution upon freezing, so that the container will not buckle or burst. For this purpose the container is initially made with two openings at one of its upper corners, the opening 3 in the top wall being a filling aperture and the opening 4 in a side wall being provided as a limit point for the fillingv operation. Thus the container is filled with the solution, through the opening 3, until the liquid begins to pour out of the opening 4 and then both openings are suitably sealed, the proper air space remaining in the container being determined by the location of the opening 4.

Several suitable solutions or freezing sub.- stances, for this purpose are known in the art and for cooling the coils in a beverage dispenser I prefer a solution which will have a freezing point of about 25 F. and a relatively high heat of fusion. In practice I cool the cold block or refrigerant, containing this solution, to a temperature of about 7 to F. and use the block unit, so cooled, as a substitute for ice. Such a cold block, when used as the refrigerant in a dispenser, will have a relatively slow temperature rise, compared with natural ice, and the time-temperature curve for the block will be almost flat for a period of from 6 to 8 hours depending upon the dispenser operating conditions and construction. Thus, at most, the block unit need be renewed or changed only twice a day and each block as it is used may be readily re-cooled by placing it'over-night in a deep freeze cabinet or an ice cream storage chest which is refrigerated by mechanical me ans.

The danger and difliculty arising from the use of such a cold block, however, resides from the fact that the liquid to be cooled in the dispenser, usually carbonated water, has a freezing point considerably above that of the cold block when it -is frozen and the cooling coil or plate of the dispenser is apt to become frozen if there is any substantial period during which the liquid is not flowing or drinks are not being drawn. To overcome this difficulty I employ a buffer between the cold block and the dispenser coil or plate, whichfunctions as an insulator to reduce the heat transfer rate and relieve the cold shock that would otherwise be imparted to the coil or plate by the cold block when it is initially placed in the dispenser. Thus, my invention comprises the use of, and the means for providing, such a buffer in connection with the use of a cold block as a dispenser refrigerant.

1n the form shown in the drawings the dispenser comprises a box-like body 5 having a top opening and a removable cover '6 therefor, the body and cover having hollow walls which are packed with a suitable insulating material. The body .5 is usually mou ted, in upright position, on 'a pedestal 7, adapted to be secured to a counter 8 or other supporting means, and a step orshelf 9 is provided on the pedestal to support a )glass or other drink receptacle below a .discharge spout H] which leads from the interior of the dispenser, as will be described,

IWithin the dispenser, and at the forward part thereof, is a syrup container it, having .a re.-

movable cover for filling and cleaning purposes, and below the syrup container is a mixing valve H which is operated by a handle or lever l3 disposed on the outside of the dispenser body and suitably connected therethrough to the valve. Immediately behind the syrup container is a relatively large space M for housing the dispenser refrigerant and at the bottom of the refrigerant space or compartment is the oil or plate l5 which the refrigerant is to cool. a As shown, the cooling coil is formed within a solid plate of aluminum, or other suitable material, and comprises an enclosed tortuous conduit (6 through which the carbonated water flows before being delivered to the mixing valve I2 for mixture with syrup and delivery to the discharge spout it, the conduit having one end connected to a source of carbonated water supply and the other end suitably connected to the mixing valve, and the conduit path lying substantially in a common horizontal plane. This system is well known in the art and is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3, excepting only that in the figure I show a cold block instead of natural ice.

As shown in Figs. l and 4, I-provide a pan at the bottom of the refrigerant compartment M, which is of substantially the same area as, and lies directly upon, the cooling plate I5. pan has a vertical wall [8 which extends cone tinuously around its periphery and its inside dimensions are somewhat larger than the outside dimensions of the cold block I so that when the cold block is placed in the compartment i4 it can rest upon the pan with its sides spaced from the wall 18 all around. Also, the pan 1! is provided with a plurality of integral spacers or pro.- jections [9, extending upwardly from its bottom surface, on which the cold block I. is supported in substantially uniformly spaced relation with the bottom of the pan. The spacers l9 are preferably located adjacent the four corners and the center of the pan l1 and the cold block thus has a minimum of metal-to-metal contact with the pan and a minimum path for the direct conduction of heat from the cold plate 15, through metallic contact.

The spacers 19 are of less height than the pan side walls 18 so that the pan wall will overlap the sides of the cold block I, as shown in Fig. 4, and before the cold block is set into the pan, the pan is filled with water to completely cover the spacers. Then when the cold blockis placed in the pan, the water is displaced upwardly around the sides of the cold block and contact of the entire bottom surface of the cold block with the water is assured. v

This static body of water serves initially as an insulator between the cold blockand the cooling coil and, because of the low initial temperature of the cold block, soon freezes to form a layer or wall of ice of substantially uniform thickness between the cold block and the cooling coil which, through surface contact with both the cold block and pan, is in heat conducting relation withboth. During the freezing process the water-absorbs the initial shock of the'relatively large cooling capacity of the cold block and, because of its relatively low rate of heat conduction, compared to that of the materials from which-the cooling coil and cold block unit are made, the ater a ice n n as a w l or buf er-t0 r tard the rate of heat transfer from the cooling coil to the cold blockand thusprotects the .0011. Also, freezing the water and ice ,absorhsfand h s a ma-P i agree very la e-ages.

was?

sion absorbed from thewater in "producing the ice. Y

j practice, the wall or sheet of ice melts slightly on the'side adjacent the coil'whenever liquid is drawn from the coil, due to heat being absorbed from the'liquid entering the coilto be cooled, and the extent or amountofsuch -melting varies according't'o the rate at which liquid flows through the coil. The direct action of the cooling block, however, isto absorb the heat from the melted ice and to refreeze it. Y

f This is accomplished lvery rapidly'throughthe agency of .thernetal spacers l9, whichare in heat conducting relation, with both the I coil and the cold block and thus" provide a ready path for direct heat flow to the cold block from the area adjacent the'coilwhere' the melting occurs. The area of contact of the spacers with the cold blocks, howevenis kept to aminimum or relatively small amountbecause the principal heat conducting function'df, the spacersissolely to refree'ze the melted ice adjacent the coolingcoil and therate of heat conduction must not, be such as to cause freezingof the liquid within the cooling coil-.- Rather the spacers l9 serve for'quick freezing of the melted ice only and the ice layer, with its" relatively slow uniform heat conductivity, serves as "the principal means for'ke'eping the coil 6 theservice is heavy and drinks arerapidlydrawfi? the" ice layer may be ma'def thin byusingthe': shortest spacers; and where the service is light and drinksare drawn infrequentlythe ice sheet or wall may be made thicker'by merely using a spacer of greaterheight', the thickness of the ice layer or wall in any event being'substantially' the same as the length of the spacers used'and and its contents at the desired temperature."

Therefore, the "area of heat conducting contact between the spacers and the cold block should be determined according to the average of flow of fiuid'through' the coilin order to prevent any accumulation of melted ice next to the coil, and the number of spacers 'used' may be increased or decreased proportionately to the average rate of fluid flow through the coil to accomplish this result. Meltediceadjacent the coil is objectionable since water is ajslow heat conductor and its presence would prevent the ice layer between the cold block and the coil from performing its function of keeping the entire coil at the necessary average temperature for propercooling of the fluid dispensed from the cooler.' Thus it is the accumulated cooling capacity or potential of the ice that serves principallyto cool the liquid flowing through the coil and although there is heat conduction through the spacers tothe cold block, the ice layer also protects the coil from freezing. When there is noflow through the cooling coil the ice wall or layer then functions as an insulator and buffer to retard the rate of heat transfer suificiently to preventfreezing of' theicoil, even though the liquid in the coil might stand for some time and even though there is some heat flow through the spacers l9. 7

In this last respect, and because the thickness of the ice layer or sheet determines the rate of normal heat flow from the cooling coil or cold plate, it is often desirable to be able to vary the thickness of the ice layer or bufier according to normal operation rate of the cooler. That is, according to the average rate at which a particular dispenser is used to deliver cooled fluid for drinks. In such cases I provide interchangeable spacers 20, which may be of the type illustrated in Fig. 7, instead of the integral bosses formed in the pan bottom. These spacers may be furnished in diiferent heights, such as 4;", 4 and and in use are merely set in place on the pan I'I before the cold block is installed. Thus where determining the heat conduction rate andthe cooling potential accumulation effect between the cooling coil and the cold block or refrigerant r V g I,

A modified form of the cooling platearrange ment for practicing my invention is shown'in Fig. 5 wherein the plate'2l, having an internal conduit 22, is formed with an integral marginal flange 23, projecting upwardly from the upper plate surface, to provide a receptacle or retainer for the body of water which forms theice buffer between the cooling plate and the cold block; In this instance the replaceable spacers 20 are used to determine the ice sheet thickness. or the space between the mutually facing surfaces of the cooling plate and the cold block unit. a

Another form for the cooling plate is shown in Fig. 6, and in this arrangement the plate is made from two pieces of stamped sheet metal 24 and 25 which are formed to provide the-water enclosed conduit 26 between them. These sheets are suitably secured together, as by welding, andthe upper sheet 24 is provided with a peripheral flange 21 to provide a water retaining wall. In this case the spacers 20 are positioned in the flatareas between the conduit walls andmust, therefore, be taller than the height of thefiuppermo'st surface of the conduit in orderthat'the layerof ice formed between the adjacent mutually facing surfaces of thecold blockand the desired thickness, v i l It should be understood that this inventionis applicable to many formsand' constructions ofdispensers, some of which have the cold plate formed as a unit with the syrup container for easy removal and cleaning, and others in which the-cooling coil may be merely of tubing laid in courses in the refrigerant chamber. In any case the particular construction of the dispenser itself, apart from the cooling system herein disclosed, is not a part of the presentinvention; It should also be understood that other means than that herein shown and described may be: utilized to space the cold block from the coolingcoil and to provide an ice wall of predetermined thickness in heat conducting relation'with them. Also the material which provides the buffer wall may be other than water and of any suitable composition which will provide the de'sireddnsulating and accumulator effect. The main advantages of thisfinvention reside in the ease and convenience of operation resulting from the use of a cold; block or-unit as 'a re frigerant in place of natural ice; and in 'the cleanliness of the interior of the dispenser that is obtained by eliminating the use of natural ice. Other important advantages reside in the means by which a cold block, cooled considerably below the freezing point of the liquid to be chilled, may be utilized without danger of freezing the cooling conduit wall have coil or plate through which the liquid is con- 7 b $11 iQ QW-m c a m -2.-.A oo n sy tm ior-li uids qomn isi a w aninden dgnt'wsq lfid.conta nqr havi a roze v substance therein which sub pogo; hasg f ljggzil mg m nt bel w that aim: l u d t b QQ1 a Qlidh3$ c nduc in ihufie o b an ia l u iform thick css d sn sed b w en said con i and the refriger ant contain er and in direct con; tact with each ye r thei mu u all sur iaceo .sa dbufier fiin n rma a i id Dal m a i neeZ ng poi t ab v rhqto h liquid to b cooled and .a lower vIxeau on uc v t n Said conduit and. s id contain when o'zqn a spaced heat oeonduqt n lelement a in i her,

heat conductivity th n said b tle exten throu h said buli r be wee sai condui and s aidpontainer ,anglin heat gqndllcti ng relation withoeach. 7

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